


The Cat's True Form (Yuki's POV)

by AlaskaExists



Category: Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket (Anime 2019), Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)
Genre: Cat, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Men Crying, True Form, Zodiac, yuki pov, zodiac curse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:48:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25419478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlaskaExists/pseuds/AlaskaExists
Summary: Yuki's POV of Kyo's true form being shown to Tohru. Aftermath of the event and some Yuki/Hatori platontic relationship.------Even as things began to quiet down, Yuki could hear Kyo crying through the walls. The sound was soft, muffled, the occasional ragged breath, and a few sniffles—the sound of someone who had learned to break down quietly to themselves. Yuki knew the feeling well, but the walls of the house were thin. Even with its rather large size, it was nearly impossible to keep any small sound from the other inhabitants.
Relationships: Honda Tohru/Sohma Kyou
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41





	The Cat's True Form (Yuki's POV)

Yuki lay in his bed, staring at the dark ceiling, trying to block out the chaos of the last few hours. He had seen Tohru return, Kyo in cat form in her arms. Both soaked to the bone and shaking. From his view on the window, he thought he noticed blood dripping down Tohru's shoulder, where her shirt had been torn. His heart clenched, a new wave of dizziness and fear making him feel lightheaded. What if she was seriously injured? What if she never recovered from this? What if she left him all alone again?

Yuki shook his head violently, trying to clear the thoughts. This wasn't about him. He needed to stop being so selfish, but he couldn't help it. He didn't know what he would do without Tohru in his life. He needed her. Needed her so much that it hurt. He didn't know what would happen to him, or all the Soma's, if she had had enough and decided to leave.

Yuki watched as Tohru walked across the lawn, carrying Kyo against her chest. Kazuma-sensei jumps up from the porch, meeting the pair halfway and throwing his arms around both of them. There’s a palpable feeling of pain and relief lingering over everyone. The intensity of the emotion kept Yuki frozen at his spot against the window. Yuki could see Kyo's chest heaving as Sensei took him from Tohru's arms. Without Kyo, it became apparent Tohru's shoulder was marred with deep gashes. Deep claw marks that could only have come from Kyo. A flash of rage shot through Yuki, blindingly hot compared to the cold dullness of all his other emotions.

If Kyo hurt her permanently, he would never forgive him. Not that the two were close now, but if Kyo was the reason Tohru got hurt in all this mess with the Soma's, he'd never be able to even look at him again. Let alone attend school and live with the stupid Cat.

However, as fast as the anger rose up, it died and was replaced by a sharp shock. Kyo's true form. He had no idea that people with cat spirit became….that. He knew the person possessed by the cat was locked up and treated like a monster, but he had no idea that the cat actually had a monstrous form. He remembered Akito and others talking about how awful and horrible the cat was, calling him disgusting and inhuman. Still, he always assumed it was just because the cat was an outcast. Unloved by God and not part of the central zodiac. He never would have guessed that the true form of the cat spirit was anything other than an annoying ginger cat. Let alone that those beads, the harmless-looking bracelet Kyo always wore, was the only thing keeping him human.

Yuki's breath caught in his chest. Somewhere during his time with Kyo and Tohru, he found that he didn't like thinking of Kyo as "other" anymore. If he thought of Kyo as less than human or being "kept human" by the beads, what did that mean for him? For the rest of the zodiac? Where they all just being kept human by keeping their distance from the opposite sex? While it was clearly different for Kyo, the curse on him was shared between them, outcast or not, they were inexplicably bound. The fear of watching Kyo transform caused his heart to pound faster, though all seemed well now, he couldn't shake his initial reaction. Hearing his cousin's scream, his voice deepening and changing as the monster inside him took shape. The smell of rotting flesh, filling his nostrils, overpowering him, and making him gag. The effortless destruction left in the cat's path as he ran from the house. Tohru limping after him, following him into the woods like it was the only thing to do. She really is an angel.

Shigure voice broke him out of his thought, and Yuki noticed he was outside with Tohru, checking her shoulder. As usual, Tohru shook her head, a small smile on her face, clearly downplaying her injuries' intensity. Yuki wished he could go help. Wished he wasn't so useless, but he still couldn't get himself to move. Even watching, he felt like an intruder, and he knew that Shigure was capable of helping Tohru. If Tohru's wounds were too much to simply bandage, or even if they weren't, Shigure would call Hatori, and everything would be fine. He just hoped that seeing Kyo's form didn't cause Tohru's memories to be erased. Considering only a few people seemed to know about the cat's true curse, he figured they could just keep it to themselves and continue on as usual. Clearly, Tohru seemed to have accepted it, just as she so readily accepted the Soma's becoming animals when hugged. She was remarkable. Unshakable.

However, Yuki's chest felt tight. He lay in his bed, forcing himself to take measured breaths to head off what felt like an inevitable panic/asthma attack. He could hear shuffling throughout the house. A car pulling up, hushed voices, Tohru's voice unmistakable between them, soft and assuring despite everything. Then a pained inhale, sharp and feminine, and Yuki pushed his pillow against his ears like a child. _She's hurt. You should be there. You're useless. The dark is all you will ever know._ The voice in his head shifted from his own to Akito's so quickly. He could feel the dark thoughts taking him, and he fumbled to turn on the small light on his nightstand. He couldn't be in a dark room when he felt like this, but the light did little to quell his panic or stop his spiraling.

A sudden popping noise startled Yuki, making him flinch backward into the wall as he scrambled to make himself small. After a moment, he realized how foolish that was and that the noise had come from Kyo's room, where he must have finally come out of his cat form. A single gasping sob followed, then a strained choking sound as Kyo fought to contain his emotions. Soft footsteps sounded in Kyo's room, and Yuki was sure that Sensei was there with him. Yuki felt a stab of jealously. He wished someone would love him like Sensei clearly loved Kyo. He wanted a parent to tell him it was all going to be okay. That _he_ was okay.

Even as things began to quiet down, Yuki could hear Kyo crying through the walls. The sound was soft, muffled, the occasional ragged breath, and a few sniffles—the sound of someone who had learned to break down quietly to themselves. Yuki knew the feeling well, but the walls of the house were thin. Even with its rather large size, it was nearly impossible to keep any small sound from the other inhabitants.

With his own thoughts, the events of the night, and listening to Kyo, Yuki felt near tears himself. He wished he could let them go, allow himself to cry, and release some of the pain he was holding, but everything in him was locked up tight. Besides, he never felt better after crying. He tended to just feel exhausted and even more pathetic than he usually felt. Maybe crying was one more thing about being a functional human that he didn't understand. He took a deep breath, ignored the tightness in his chest, and forced himself into a sitting position, He resolved to look for his headphones so he could drown out everything and try to get some sleep.

He sat on the edge of the bed, glancing around at the mess of his room, mirroring his disorganized thoughts, and hanging his head. While he was debating whether he had the energy to find his headphones, a knock sounded at his door, startling him. He was sure everyone had gone to bed, and there was no reason for anyone to come to his room. Usually, the only person who did was Tohru, but he had heard her go to bed awhile, and the knock was too forceful to be hers. Yuki thought about ignoring it, pretending to be asleep. Still, part of him desperately wanted to reach out to someone. Despite his anxiety, he found himself answering the door, surprised to see Hatori on the other side. He thought he had heard him leave earlier.

"Hatori? What is it?" he asked, surprise causing him to speak casually. Before saying anything, Hatori had his stethoscope pressed against his chest. The feeling of the cold metal through his shirt, solid and real, brought him back to himself, making him realize how detached he had been.

"You're supposed to get your lungs checked each month, especially since you had that attack recently." Hatori's voice was so matter-of-fact that it seemed like a routine office visit, not the middle of the night in a dark house reeling from chaos.

"So you thought you'd do that now?" Yuki asked, and Hatori nodded, moving the stethoscope around. "How did-"Yuki started, before being interrupted by the Doctor telling him to take a deep breath. He complied before continuing, "How did you know I was still awake?"

"I didn't. I just had a feeling." Hatori made him turn around, take a few more deep breaths, and listen to his lungs through his back. "Does your chest feel tight? Your lungs are clear, but I can hear a slight wheeze."

"Hm? I guess a little. It's not that bad though" Yuki replied, turning back around to face the Doctor.

"You should use your inhaler when you feel that you know. Do you even know where it is?"

Yuki glanced sheepishly around his room, knowing Hatori was looking at the mess of his shoulder. He honestly hadn't seen his inhaler in a while. He hadn't really needed it since he was a kid, and he didn't like carrying it around with him. Hatori shook his head, an indulgent curve to his mouth, as he pulled an inhaler from his pocket and put it to Yuki's lips before he could protest.

Yuki felt his eyes flutter close as he breathed in the medicated air, some of the constriction instantly lifting from his chest. He hadn't realized how much tightness was emotional and how much was physical. He leaned against the doorframe, sighing, "Thank you."

Hatori nodded, sliding the inhaler back in his pocket before turning to leave. A question burned in Yuki's throat, and before the Doctor could go, he reached out and caught his arm. Hatori turned, eyebrows raised in a silent question.

"Is she…is Tohru okay?" Yuki asked, his voice hesitant, the question heavy with multiple meanings.

"She's fine, she will just have to be careful with her shoulder while her wounds heal."

"And is he…?" Yuki asked, but he couldn't finish the question, couldn't even get himself to say Kyo's name. He wasn't sure what he was asking. He didn't want to admit that a small part of him was worried about Kyo and wanted to know if he was okay after everything. He wondered if there would be consequences for him and Sensei for exposing this part of the curse, but he was too scared of the answer to that question to ask it.

"I think he'll be alright," Hatori replied, surprise lighting his eyes for a brief second before he suppressed it.

"Hatori-san…Thanks for checking on me," Yuki murmured, embarrassed but wanting to express in some small way how grateful he was to be thought about. He always felt so alone, so lost and trapped, but it wasn't entirely true. Yes, he was his biggest enemy, and it would take a lot of effort on his own to overcome that voice in his head. Still, it was time he acknowledged other people's kindness towards him.

Yuki looked at the ground, feeling heat flare in his cheeks, as Hatori's eyes softened as he stared at the boy. He was about to speak when soft footsteps interrupted them. Yuki looked up and saw Kazuma-sensei coming towards them, head bowed. When he stepped into the small cone of light from Yuki's room, Yuki could see the older man had been crying. His eyes were red-rimmed, and his shoulders were slumped with exhaustion that seemed more than physical.

He greeted Yuki, voice quiet, before greeting Hatori in turn.

"Aren't you staying the night, Sensei?" Yuki asked, seeing that Kazuma had gathered the stuff from his room.

"No, I'm going back to the dojo now. I'm not sure if I'll be wanted here in the morning." Kazuma's voice held a bitter sorrow, and Yuki struggled to place the source of the emotion.

"It's late, you should just stay here. It will be okay for one more night."

Kazuma smiled sadly, shaking his head, "It's not a long walk back."

"I can drive you," Hatori offered, and Kazuma nodded his thanks, following Hatori down the hall as they excused themselves. Yuki watched them walk away, waiting until they had disappeared before shutting the door to his room and letting himself slide down it. He put his head in hands, suddenly feeling overwhelming exhausted. Placing one hand on his chest, he felt his diaphragm rise and fall, the tightness is nearly gone thanks to the inhaler. Leaning his head back against the door, he closed his eyes and listened to the house's sounds. The sounds of the house settling, the wind against his window, blowing through the thin walls of the house. He could feel the presence of his housemates, the silence as they slept. He couldn't hear Kyo anymore and realized he must have finally exhausted himself.

There was still a heaviness in the air, unresolved emotions like a dark cloud over the house, but right now, all was calm. The same sounds Yuki heard every night for the months he had lived here. For the first time in a while, Yuki felt comforted by the stillness. He pulled himself up from the floor and fell into the bed, reaching blindly to turn the lamp off on his nightstand, surprisingly feeling comfortable with the idea of the dark room. He lay in the dark, breathing more natural than he had all night, and fell asleep almost instantly.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Yuki wakes up in the early hours of the morning, still exhausted. He hates mornings and rolls over to go back to sleep, but his body has other ideas. Huffing in annoyance, he groggily stands, shuffling his way out of his room and to the bathroom. As he leaves the bathroom, he nearly collides with Kyo, who is very much wide awake at this horrible hour as usual. Yuki's eyes lock with the Cat's for a few seconds before they both quickly turn away. Neither of them knows what to say to the other, so Yuki pushes past him, stumbling sleepily. But Yuki saw how puffy and red Kyo's eyes were from crying through the night, and he can't help that his eyes went to the other boy's wrist to find the beads back in their proper place. Yuki makes it back to his room and climbs back in his bed gratefully, hearing Kyo shut the bathroom door too hard and then the sound of water running. Yuki has the sensation that something has irrevocably changed between him and the Cat, but he's too tired to dwell on what may be just yet. Instead, he lets himself drift back to sleep, determined to enjoy the few hours he has left before the real world demands his attention.


End file.
